Abbas Araqchi appointed new Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman

Press TV-(Sun May 12, 2013) Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araqchi has been appointed as the new Foreign Ministry spokesman.

Ramin Mehmanparast, who has signed up as a presidential hopeful for the June 14 election, said he was ready to step down as Foreign Ministry spokesman in a letter to Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi on Saturday, the Mehr News Agency reported.In his letter of resignation, Mehmanparast stated that although there is no law requiring that he resign in order to run for president, he decided to make the move in order to assure the public that he would not use state facilities or his position to give himself a boost in the election.Salehi accepted his resignation and appointed Araqchi as the new Foreign Ministry spokesman but announced that he would retain his position as deputy foreign minister for Asia-Pacific affairs.The foreign minister also thanked Mehmanparast for his untiring efforts during his tenure as Foreign Ministry spokesman.Mehmanparast is one of the 686 individuals who have signed up as presidential hopefuls.The registration of hopefuls for Iran’s 11th presidential election began on Tuesday March 7 at Iran’s Interior Ministry and ended on Saturday March 11.The president of Iran is elected for a four-year term in a national election, and the Guardian Council vets the candidates to determine if they have the qualifications to serve as president.The Iranian Constitution stipulates that presidential candidates must be religious or political figures, be Iranian in origin, have Iranian citizenship, possess resourcefulness and managerial skills, have no criminal record, be trustworthy and pious, and have firm belief in the fundamental principles of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the country’s official religion.